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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25691113">The Sun Sets in a Cloud</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuumai/pseuds/kuumai'>kuumai</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Gentron Week 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Black Paladin Shiro (Voltron), Gen, Literal Sleeping Together, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, POV Shiro (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Shiro (Voltron) Needs a Hug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:07:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,808</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25691113</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuumai/pseuds/kuumai</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Thank you,” Osrev says, “For liberating our planet. It’s an incredible honor to have the paladins of Voltron staying here with us.”</p><p>“We do what we can,” Shiro replies, feeling vaguely guilty for being cynical about staying on the planet just to be polite. “Thank you for housing us.”</p><p>“It’s the least we can do in return,” he says. He wishes Shiro a good night and shuts the door.</p><p>And finally, Shiro is left alone in the room.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Allura &amp; Shiro (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Gentron Week 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1863325</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Gentronweek</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Sun Sets in a Cloud</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Prompt: Literal Sleeping Together</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Freeing Estherez from Galra control was somewhat straightforward, but it was still a battle with the Galra empire, and it was still exhausting. After landing the Black Lion in the castle, Shiro takes a moment to sit and let the adrenaline fade, and he ends up being the last of the paladins to step onto the planet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pads through the purple-ish grass toward the plaza where the others are already gathered in a semi-circle around Estherez’s chancellor. Even from this distance, the Chancellor looks almost ethereal. The plaza is a large, flat circle of marble-like stone sitting in front of the elaborate mansion where the Chancellor resides. Tucking his helmet under his arm, Shiro takes his place at Allura’s side. Up close, the Chancellor is even more beautiful. Her loose blonde hair nearly reaches her thighs, and it looks like it’s glowing, though that might be a trick of the rapidly waning sunlight. She’s mostly humanoid, save for her blue skin and the fact that she has four arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We cannot thank you enough for freeing us from the rule of the Galra empire,” the Chancellor is saying when Shiro arrives, her voice choked with emotion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is no need to thank us, Chancellor,” Allura says. “This is our duty to the universe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We are indebted to you,” the Chancellor insists, and her eyes are shining with tears. “Surely you are exhausted from your battle. Allow us to make arrangements for you to spend the night here on Estherez.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do not wish to impose upon you,” Allura demurs. She says it as if she’s hesitant to accept the offer, but Shiro knows immediately that they’ll be staying here overnight. This is the kind of useless thing they must do out of politeness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s no imposition at all, your highness. This is the least we can do to repay you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you insist, Chancellor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Call me Yther.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Allura steps away from Shiro’s side to take Yther hands in her own. “Then call me Allura.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yther smiles at Allura tearfully, then releases Allura’s hands and turns to address the rest of them. “Osrev will meet you here in a moment to show you to your temporary residence. We must prepare a statement to give our people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Yther.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the Chancellor sweeps up the stairs and into her mansion, Allura pulls a communicator from a pocket hidden in her dress, probably to message Coran. Shiro always finds it fascinating to watch Allura shift from her politic outward appearance to her more relaxed self. He doesn’t even think she does it on purpose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance is less subtle with his change, letting out a petulant sigh and stretching his arms in the air. “I’m so tired,” he drawls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel that,” Hunk replies. Shiro also feels that, but he’s not about to admit that in front of the others. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pidge hugs her helmet to her chest. “I feel like I’m dreaming, man,” she says. “Like, the ruler speaks in the royal ‘we’ and is named ether. That can’t be real.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s Yther, not ether,” says Hunk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re saying the same thing twice,” says Pidge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yther. Ether. Yther. Ether.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Repeating the same thing over and over won’t help me understand better!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance dissolves into delirious laughter. Shiro looks over at Allura, who is rubbing the bridge of her nose as though she’s nursing a headache, and has to bite back his own laughter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that moment, Coran appears, saving Shiro from losing his calm and bearing a bag of clothing for the team to change into. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Coran can distribute the clothing among the group, a new Estherezian emerges from the mansion. His skin is a similar blue to the Chancellor’s but his hair is a dark indigo, in three plaits that brush against his shoulders. He bows in Allura’s direction with barely a hint of the awkwardness one would expect from someone who doesn’t live in a monarchical state.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Osrev, an advisor to Chancellor Yther. I’ll show you to the guest chambers, if you will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Osrev,” Allura says with a smile, and they follow Osrev up the staircase to the elaborate doorway to the Chancellor’s residence. The stairs are made of the same stone as the plaza, and Shiro hopes his boots don’t track mud on the shiny, white surface.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Osrev pulls open the door for Allura, Shiro hears Pidge whisper something like “See, this guy doesn’t use the royal ‘we.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shoots a glare at her over his shoulder, and when he glances back to thank Osrev for holding the door, Osrev is staring openly at him, his eyes wide. Shiro startles to a halt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Champion?” Osrev breathes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shock lances through Shiro’s chest, and he gapes for a moment before twisting his mouth into a smile that he knows is not convincingly casual. “I go by Shiro now.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Osrev shakes himself out of his stupor. “I—I apologize. That was impolite of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s alright,” Shiro insists, eager to end this conversation as quickly and respectfully as possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was a prisoner on a Galra ship, briefly,” Osrev adds quickly. “The same ship as you, it seems. I’m beyond lucky to have been returned to my home planet, even to be alive. Um.” Osrev averts his eyes sheepishly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiro puts his hand on Osrev’s shoulder, hoping he isn’t being too forward. “I’m glad you made it,” he says, and for a moment his smile turns genuine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The same to you,” Osrev says, with a similar, sad smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiro realizes rather suddenly that he and Osrev are still standing in the doorway, and that they have an audience of paladins watching. Embarrassed, he pulls his hand away too quickly, and follows Allura into the building.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone gives him some degree of concerned or pitying side-eye, except for Keith, who is doing a poor impression of someone who doesn’t want to stare at Shiro, since he knows Shiro doesn’t like the attention. At least he </span>
  <em>
    <span>tries</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be conspicuous. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiro is pointedly inspecting the swirling white and gray of the floor when the Chancellor floats into the room, barely making a noise despite the tile flooring and echoey room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Princess Allura!” she exclaims, clasping her two pairs of hands together. “Might we show you our library before Osrev takes you to the rooms? We have children’s literature said to come from Altean backgrounds!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Allura’s eyes light up, Shiro’s heart-to-heart with Osrev quickly forgotten, and she turns to look at Coran like a child asking silent permission from a parent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should like to come along as well,” Coran says brightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course!” says the Chancellor, who looks so much younger with a smile on her face. Then, unexpectedly, she turns to Shiro. “Wouldn’t you like to accompany the princess, Black Paladin?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiro isn’t sure why she asks him in particular, and prays that his voice sounds of neither confusion nor disrespect when he says, “I’ll stay with the rest of the paladins, if that’s agreeable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Chancellor looka only briefly puzzled before acquiescing and showing the Alteans toward a hallway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Osrev leads the rest of them up another staircase and down a hallway, and with no Allura at his side and no Chancellor making conversation, the uncomfortable feeling he had when Osrev called him the Champion soon returns. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tall ceilings of the entryway and the patterned flooring of the adjacent corridors would surely be impressive, Shiro thinks, if he weren’t willing his stomach to stop turning cartwheels. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Osrev brings the paladins down a final corridor, making an offhand apology about the lack of rooms available as an explanation for why some of them need to share. He explains quickly that there are two beds in each room, however. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith and Lance barely have enough time to glare at each other before Pidge declares that she’ll room with Keith, and “Please don’t start snapping about how you don’t want to share a room with each other, because I’m too tired to listen to that right now.” With that, Hunk and Lance disappear into one room, and Keith and Pidge into another, and Shiro and Osrev are left alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To Shiro’s surprise, Osrev motions him past the next room and toward the suite at the end of the hall. “Here,” says Osrev, pulling the door open for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiro thanks him and walks into the room, but Osrev lingers in the doorway for a moment longer. Shiro looks at him curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Osrev says, “For liberating our planet. It’s an incredible honor to have the paladins of Voltron staying here with us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do what we can,” Shiro replies, feeling vaguely guilty for being cynical about staying on the planet just to be polite. “Thank you for housing us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s the least we can do in return,” he says, an echo of the Chancellor’s earlier words to Allura. He wishes Shiro a good night and shuts the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And finally, Shiro is left alone in the room. He deflates into a slouch that could put Keith’s to shame. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If the other paladins’ rooms are as spacious as Shiro’s, they should have no trouble sharing with each other, but Shiro suspects his room is larger than the others. It’s clearly a master suite, with a single bed centered against a wall and a door leading to an en suite bathroom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He returns to the door Osrev just closed to wiggle the doorknob. Still unlocked. He tries it a second time, then opens it all the way and inspects the other side of the door to make sure it can’t be locked from outside. Satisfied, he shuts the door and locks it from his end.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apparently, between the battle and being called the Champion, Shiro is a little bit on edge. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiro gives a longing look at the large bed on the other side of the room, sets his helmet on an armchair, and drops to the plush carpet to do push-ups. He is certainly not getting to sleep anytime soon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiro has long lost count of how many push-ups he’s done when there’s a quick knock at the door. Coran comes bearing clothing, Shiro assumes. Hopefully he won’t think too much of the fact that Shiro hasn’t bothered to shed the outer pieces of his armor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Shiro unlocks and opens the door, he is met not with Coran, but with Allura and the Chancellor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here you are!” the Chancellor says to Allura with a smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiro is far too confused about what is happening to begin to formulate a question, and for once Allura also seems at a loss for words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Chancellor’s face falls when she sees their confusion. “Oh, dear,” she says. “We completely forgot to ask—Do your people require some sort of union ceremony before you may stay in a room together? In our culture, any couple can share a room without being frowned upon. We forget that some other cultures—We truly meant no disrespect.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiro finally puts two and two together, and understanding dawns on Allura’s face as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yther,” Allura says, “We’re not—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, but all of our guest rooms are full,” Yther continues. “Perhaps we can ask someone to—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s—that’s alright,” Allura says quickly. “You’ve done plenty to accommodate us already. We’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yther looks nervously between the two of them. “If you’re sure….”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am,” Allura insists.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then….” Yther hesitates for a second. “Alright. We will leave you to rest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” says Allura.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still a bit dumbfounded, Shiro backs into the room to give Allura space to enter. As soon as the door closes, Allura casts off her shoes and makes her way across the room to drop her bracelets and crown on a bedside table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The other paladins are doubling up, too, but I’m pretty sure they all have their own beds,” Shiro says to fill the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This bed has ample space for both of us,” Allura replies as she removes her earrings. “I know it isn’t proper, but if I may be frank, I don’t really care.” After draping her cape next to Shiro’s helmet, she looks to him with concern. “That is, unless you’re uncomfortable with sleeping in the same bed. I promise I’m not trying to come on to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No, I’m not uncomfortable with it. I don’t like women like that, anyway.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yes, I’m uncomfortable with it. I was glad Osrev gave me a room to myself while the others have to share, and I didn’t even really feel bad about it, because I was planning on exercising and spacing out until the early hours of the morning to work off my stress and avoid having night terrors about the time when I </span>
  </em>
  <span>was </span>
  <em>
    <span>called the Champion.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I know you aren’t. It’s fine.” Shiro grudgingly begins to unlatch his breastplate. “I was just surprised that they think we’re a couple.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too. Though it makes sense, I suppose. The leader of Voltron and the princess of Altea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s another knock at the door, and this time it is indeed Coran with their clothes, and Allura withdraws to the bathroom to dress and wash up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as she’s gone and Shiro has piled his armor neatly on the floor, he sinks onto a corner of the bed and massages his temples. He trusts Allura. He’s at ease around her; or at least, he’s no more uneasy around her than he is literally all the time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He just really, really doesn’t want to go to sleep, but with Allura around, he at least has to pretend. And, unfortunately, the battle left him beyond tired. As soon as he lays down on that marshmallow of a mattress, he’ll be out. That is, if he can get his heart to stop racing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Allura emerges a few minutes later dressed in a nightgown with her hair in a braid down her back, and Shiro fetches his clothes and takes her place in the bathroom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiro faces away from the mirror as he undresses. Peeling the undersuit from his body feels like peeling off a layer of sweat, so he decides taking a shower is the best course of action. He locates a towel in the cabinet under the sink and fiddles with the unfamiliar controls next to the shower for a moment before he gets the water flowing at a reasonable temperature.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The steam and hot water calm him down enough that he zones out again, and when he gets out of the shower an indeterminate amount of time later, he feels like he’s moving through molasses. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Shiro finally trudges out of the bathroom in his pajamas, the room is dark save for a lamp on one of the side tables. Allura is under the covers and seems to be asleep already, which means Shiro doesn’t have to pretend to sleep, but the determination to keep himself awake already washed away in the shower. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiro falls onto the opposite side of the bed from Allura and curls up on top of the duvet, not caring that his hair was still wet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes drift close before he remembers that he needs to turn out the light, and he fumbles blearily for the lamp before managing to turn it off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good night, Shiro,” Allura murmurs through the darkness. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiro wakes disoriented, with his heart pounding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gasps a breath and forces himself onto his elbows, which seem to sink down into a sea of softness. He blinks several times and forces his eyes wide, but he can see almost nothing for how dark it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” whispers Allura. “I didn’t mean to wake you. You were tossing around like you were having a night terror, and I meant to let you sleep through it, but it seems I made too much noise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s—” His voice is rough and gravelly from sleep, and he clears his throat. “It’s okay. I’m a light sleeper.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiro pushes himself fully into a sitting position and leaned against the headboard, remembering how to breathe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he looks toward Allura again, his eyes have adjusted enough to the darkness that he can see her silhouette, washed out in grays and blues, sitting up. She extricates herself from the sheets and turns to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I hug you?” she asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He takes another measured breath. Rubs his eyes. Runs his hands down his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he rasps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She crawls across the expanse of the bed in such an undignified, such an unimpressive way that Shiro feels affection for her cleave through him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Allura pulls him away from the headboard to wrap her arms around his shoulders. Shiro leans forward until his head rests in the crook of her neck, and she holds him close to her as he shakes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The leader of Voltron and the princess of Altea.</span>
</p>
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